


A Guide to Falling in Love at Hot Topic

by combat_jorts



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Retail, Fluff, Hot Topic Employee Ashe, M/M, Sanrio Employee Felix, Strangers to Lovers, brief mention of other blue lions, everyone works in the same mall, mention of ashe's siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combat_jorts/pseuds/combat_jorts
Summary: Step 1. Go to Hot TopicContrary to popular belief, Felix had never once stepped foot in a Hot Topic, nor did he plan to.~~~~~~~~~~aka, the one where Felix works at Sanrio and Ashe works at Hot Topic next door.Inspired by @lordlonato on twitter!
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 38
Kudos: 114





	A Guide to Falling in Love at Hot Topic

**Author's Note:**

> keep work skins on pls or some formatting stuff might get messed up!!  
> i might have gotten a little carried away by this bad boy but oh well KDKSDJK  
> anyway it's directly inspired by this whole thread https://twitter.com/lordlonato/status/1262216107785482240  
> thank u lordlonato ;w; hope this 15k monstrosity does ur big brain au justice

**Step 1. Go to Hot Topic**

Contrary to popular belief, Felix had never once stepped foot in a Hot Topic, nor did he plan to. To him, it was nothing more than a wannabe emo thirteen year old’s fever dream, and while his aesthetic (he cringed to call it that) wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, he would rather not be seen ever walking in or out of a Hot Topic. Unfortunately, his Hot Topic virginity was to be taken; he owed Ingrid a favor in the form of a My Little Pony Funko Pop (she wouldn’t accept anything else). She was lucky he worked right next to the store— and he didn’t exactly have an excuse not to stop by— or she wouldn’t be getting shit. 

After his shift was over, he stuffed his uniform into his bag and made his way next door, dutifully ignoring any other mall patrons who might see him making the trek to that godforsaken store and mistake him for a man who wears Twenty One Pilots merch in public. All he had to do was run in, find the figure, pay, and leave. That was it. He didn’t plan to spend any more time in this store than he had to. Passing the sale racks in the brick entrance, his ears were immediately assaulted with music that could barely be labeled as such. Felix enjoyed metal, but this? This was not it— this was just a teen boy screeching his vocal chords to shreds into a microphone that wished it had been made into anything else in that moment. 

“Hi! Welcome to Hot Topic!” piped a cheery voice from behind a shelf of cheap gatcha goods. “Can I help you with anything today?”

“Just looking,” Felix replied shortly, eyes scanning the store for the Funko Pop figures as he made his way through the narrow aisles. He passed racks of body jewelry, past the wall of t-shirts full out outdated memes, unfortunately got an eyeful of weird emo lingerie, but the figures still eluded him.

“Got anything in particular in mind?” that same cheery voice asked. Strangely, it reminded Felix of a cartoon character. Irritation twinged at the back of his mind— he’d wanted to avoid as much human contact as possible.

“Just looking for a gift for a friend. A Funko Pop,” he replied without turning around, hoping the sales clerk would just point him in the right direction and leave him alone.

“Oh! They’re right over here. Do you know what your friend likes?”

Felix turned to face the employee, watching as a man about his height rounded the sales counter and flashed him a smile. His hair was dyed a bright aqua and fell neatly over his forehead, parting around one eyebrow adorned with a silver barbell piercing. A silver lip ring glistened in the dim lighting along with a septum ring, a few earrings, and a delicate chain on his visible ear. Contrasting this were his bright green eyes and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His baby Yoda sweatshirt made Felix want to poke his own eyes out. All in all, he looked like an early draft love interest for My Immortal until the author figured out he was somehow more of a twink than Draco Malfoy. 

“Uh,” Felix began eloquently, trying to hide the fact that he’d profiled this man in less than two seconds. “She’s looking for My Little Pony. The one with the apples or whatever.”

“Applejack? Got it!” the man— “Ashe,  _ Assistant Manager _ ” according to the name tag on the end of his lanyard adorned with all manners of anime pins— chirped, rounding a corner and scanning a shelf before brightening and pulling out a box. “Is that all you’re looking for? We’ve got a buy-three-get-one-free deal on any anime merch. I’m personally a fan of the magical girl genre— if you like that, I think you’d like Puella Magi Madoka Magica! We’ve just gotten some cute new merch for it,” Ashe prattled on, seemingly unaware that Felix really didn’t give a shit.

“I’m not really—“

“But if you’re more straightforward and into the classics, Sailor Moon is always a great choice!” he continued, apparently heedless of the fact that Felix was actually still talking. Ingrid owed him  _ big time.  _ Felix didn’t have time for this.

“I don’t watch—“

“But you look more like a Fullmetal Alchemist fan,” Ashe interrupted, and Felix could practically feel his eye twitching. Felix didn’t smoke, but he was thinking he needed to start after this. “Maybe I’m just assuming too quickly— what anime  _ do _ you watch?”

Felix didn’t have enough brain cells left for this conversation. “I don’t. Watch anime,” he gritted out, watching mossy green eyes go wide before the man’s pale cheeks bloomed into vivid color.

“R-Right, Sorry, I… I prattled on a little bit there, huh? I just get so carried away, and… ah, I’ll throw in a button for the trouble.” Ashe grinned sheepishly, hurrying to the sales counter and slipping behind it to ring up the Funko. “Pick one out of the basket. We’ve got just about everything in there— well, everything except Hello Kitty. You’re gonna have to go next door for that.”

“Oh, I know,” Felix muttered perhaps a bit too harshly, digging through the buttons for something stupid he could give to Sylvain. He could go the rest of his life without seeing Hello Kitty’s dumb mug and sleep soundly every night. Part of his Sanrio uniform  _ were  _ Hello Kitty buttons— he was glad a skinny scene boy with a lip ring wasn’t selling him another  _ outside  _ of work. 

Said boy was giving him an odd look, furrowing his brow. “Is Hello Kitty a touchy subject?” he asked wryly.

“Oh, look, I found a button.” He slapped the button on the counter.  _ My eyes are up here _ , it proclaimed, with an arrow pointing down. Ashe blinked, scanning the button and typing in a few commands on his computer. 

“Alright, your total is—“

Felix was already all but shoving his card into the card reader and completing his transaction, all the while he could feel Ashe’s wide eyes on him. For some reason, he felt the need to offer an excuse instead of being a complete ass to a person who probably didn’t know he was babbling incessantly about things no one cared about. “It’s for her birthday. I’m late,” he lied. Ashe’s shoulders seemed to relax then. 

“Ah, got it! Need a box?”

“Nope,” Felix replied quickly, reaching for the bag. He’d reached his human interaction threshold and really didn’t want a lecture on anime ever again, thank you very much. He dropped his card somewhere in his work bag and grabbed the shopping bag, turning on his heel and maneuvering his way around the narrow aisles. 

“Okay, well… Have a nice day! I hope your friend likes the gift!” Ashe called after him. Felix idly wondered if he was lonely working in there all alone with nothing but awful music and awkward pre-teens with green hair and rubber bracelets up to their elbows to keep him company.

“You too,” Felix called back automatically, finally escaping that hellhole and ending up back in the rather empty halls of the mall. He breathed a sigh of relief. 

Ingrid owed him. 

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 2. Introduce yourself**

_ Chococat. I’m looking for Chococat. _

Ashe had no idea there were Sanrio characters other than Hello Kitty until his little sister enlightened him the other day. She’d lamented that she didn’t have a plush of her favorite character, but told him with determination in her eye that she nearly had enough in her piggy bank to buy one. Ashe had just received his paycheck, and his siblings were his entire world, so it was only natural that his next conclusion was to surprise her with the plush himself. 

Ashe loved his work, but passing it on his day off just reminded him of the fact that he had to go back the next day, so he hurried past Hot Topic to head into the Sanrio shop. He didn’t think he’d actually ever been there before— he liked Hello Kitty as much as the next guy, but he didn’t really have a need to shop there. 

The store was almost offending pink, with bows and ruffles and cutesy animals decorating every surface that wasn’t full of merchandise. Ashe actually thought it was adorable. Just as he was getting distracted by a pastel green bag of candies shaped like frogs, he heard rustling from a shelf somewhere behind him. 

“Welcome to the Sanrio store,” an unusually familiar voice greeted him in a rather monotone manner. Ashe understood not particularly enjoying working in a store surrounded by frills and ruffles and dancing cartoon animals on screens all day, but it wasn’t  _ that _ hard to fake some enthusiasm. “Is there anything I can help you find—… today…?”

The person trailed off suddenly as if taken by surprise, and then there was more rustling, a crash, then a swear. Ashe’s eyes widened, and he put down the bag of candies he’d been inspecting to whip around toward the source of the noise. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, making his way around a circular display of plushies and plastic figures. 

“Just dandy,” the voice replied in a way that conveyed that things were not, in fact, dandy. 

“Oh, geez, let me help. Here…” There was a mess of toys and little knickknacks on the floor, and right in the middle of it was a man with a dark head of hair attempting to clean it all up. He glanced up just as Ashe knelt down, and—  _ Oh! _

“Hey! Long time, no see, huh?” 

“Yeah,” muttered the customer from the other day, that same scowl set on his face. Ashe smiled as he handed him a little plastic keychain of a green frog. The man muttered his thanks and placed it back where it came from.

“I’ve never seen you here.”

“You’ve never come in here while I’ve been working. What, you frequent this place for the merch your store doesn’t have?”

“Actually, I’m here for my baby sister,” Ashe replied, watching the other man’s scowl momentarily disappear. “Well, she’s not really a  _ baby _ . She’s ten. But she loves all this stuff, y’know? I wanted to do something nice for her.” The other man was still watching him with an unreadable expression, and Ashe grinned sheepishly and averted his gaze. “Sorry— babbling again. You know me.”

“Apparently I do,” the other man replied flatly, straightening once the merchandise that he’d knocked over was fixed up once more. On his incredibly frilly apron, Ashe spied a nametag covered in stickers that read “Felix”.

“Nice apron,” Ashe commented with an innocent smile, though he couldn’t contain his soft laughter forever. Felix rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “The bows really make it, I think. Also the giant Hello Kitty face. That’s actually kinda cute…”

“What is it your sister wanted?” Felix asked dryly. This guy really was a tough crowd, huh? He couldn’t be  _ that _ mean if he had a job in a store geared toward children (and whose uniform was a frilly pink apron). 

“Oh! Right, um… Chococat. To be honest, I didn’t know there were any other characters besides Hello Kitty, and I—“

“Right this way,” Felix interrupted, spinning on his heel and making his way toward the back of the store. Ashe shuffled behind him, eyeing the cute toys and miscellaneous stuff along the way. “Does she want something specific?”

“A plush, I think. Oh!” Ashe’s eyes widened as he spotted what had to be a shelf full of the biggest plush they carried in the store. He scurried ahead to the Chococat, stretching up to grab the price tag and finding it was just slightly out of reach. Before he could say anything, Felix was coming up right behind him and reaching for the tag, reading off the price.

“This is perfect! She’ll love this.” Ashe grabbed it and pulled while Felix held the others steady, then hugged the big plush to his chest. 

“Is that all?” Felix asked, his usual monotone tinged with what had to be amusement. Ashe peered at him over the top of the black cat’s head, grinning. 

“I think so.” Ashe’s eyes wandered to another shelf full of plushies, his gaze locking on that cute green frog. His eyes were huge and friendly, his little smile in a perfect V. Ashe hadn’t bought a stuffed animal for himself since he was little, but…  _ Aww…  _ “Actually… What’s that frog’s name?” he queried, nodding his head toward the plush. 

Without looking, Felix replied “Keroppi.”

“Um, could you… could you do me a favor and grab one of those for me?”

“That for your sister, too?”

Ashe could feel his cheeks heating up as Felix grabbed one of the Keroppi plushes, raising a brow as he held it up for Ashe to see. “It’s, ah… for me. It’s just so cute, I couldn’t leave it behind.”

“Hm.” Felix eyed him for a moment before his lips twitched into what had to be the world’s smallest smile. For some reason, it made Ashe’s stomach do a little flip-flop inside him. “You work in Hot Topic, yet you shop at Sanrio.”

“Hey!” Ashe laughed, trailing behind Felix on his way to the register. “Are you calling me a poser?”

“I didn’t think people actually said that word in real life,” Felix snorted. Surprisingly, he was fun to talk to when he wasn’t brusquely rushing through a transaction. It probably helped that Ashe wasn’t spouting his anime recommendations this time, he realized with some embarrassment.

“So you hang out with the online crowds who say it, huh?”

“Absolutely not,” Felix scoffed, and this time it pulled a little laugh from him. As Ashe hauled the plush onto the counter, he couldn’t help but beam. “I’ve just seen it.”

“Where, My Immortal?” Ashe laughed out before pausing, “wait, do you even know what that is?”

“Of course I have. My friend made me read it when we were in middle school,” Felix replied dryly, his nose wrinkled in disgust at the apparent bad memory. Ashe couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Felix reading that awful fanfiction relic with that same look of disgust on his face.

“So you’re not as much of a prep as I thought,” Ashe teased, watching Felix roll his eyes as he scanned the plush. 

“Again, literally who says that? And, no, I’m not. Do I look like a normie to you? Not that I care.”

“Who says  _ normie _ ?” Felix shot Ashe a sharp look that made him begin to laugh. “Well, you  _ did _ come into Hot Topic for a My Little Pony Funko and a button only a dudebro would wear.” Ashe grinned wryly, leaning over the counter with his head pillowed in one hand. “Where did you end up putting that, anyway?”

Felix curled his lip, scanning the frog plush and then wrestling with a large shopping bag to place the two plushes in. “They were both for friends, okay? What is this, 20 questions?”

“I guess I’m just trying to get to know you better,” Ashe hummed. 

“By incessantly bullying a stranger?” Felix cocked a brow, growling at the stubborn bag in his hand as the giant Chococat rolled into the floor.

“You  _ are _ putting up with it. It’s friendly teasing, thank you very much. And the point of it is to become  _ not  _ strangers.”

“Yeah, okay,” Felix scoffed, apparently finally gathering his bearings and lugging the bag over the counter to Ashe. He took the bag, finishing up his payment. “Well I hope this gift makes it up to your sister for having to have a brother like you.”

“Hey!” Ashe let out a guffaw, a hand flying to his chest in mock hurt. Soon, he dissolved into laughter once more and adjusted the bag in his arms. “It will, because I just so happen to give great gifts to spoil her with.” He then softened, watching a tiny smile unfurl on Felix’s lips once more. Ashe really wanted to see that again— see  _ him  _ again. “Well, I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Felix replied, watching Ashe begin to lug his bag out of the store while carefully schooling his expression back to slightly-pissed.

“Bye, Felix,” Ashe called, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Felix’s eyes go wide. Was that color blooming high on his cheeks?

Felix seemed to falter for a moment before offering a simple, “Bye, Ashe.”

Ashe nearly skipped all the way home.

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 2.5 (optional): Ask a friend for advice**

“He was just weird. I don’t know. Why are you so fixated on this?”

Sylvain shrugged in that way he does when he’s trying to play nice to get the answers he wants. Felix watched as he simply smiled, shook his head, and leaned over the counter with his elbow on the surface and his chin perched in his hand. “Well, you’re the one who brought him up first. You never talk about anyone unless they catch your attention. So far, the attention doesn’t seem to be bad either— you haven’t gone on a rant about how stupid he is yet.”

“Because he’s not stup— look,” Felix sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes for one blessed moment of silence, “Why can’t I just have a normal conversation with my friend about my life?”

“Well, you can. It’s just weird you came all the way over here on your lunch break to do it. I mean, I’m still working. It must have really been on your mind.” Sylvain offered that same easy smile, using his free hand to gesture around to the empty Spencer’s they stood in. 

“It was fresh in my mind, okay? Besides, I just saw him. He’s working today. He  _ waved _ at me, Sylvain. Like we’re friends or something.” Felix remembered it way too clearly; he’d been clocking in around eleven, passing Hot Topic when a flash of aqua blue caught his eye. It wasn’t his fault that he made direct eye contact with Ashe of all people. It  _ also  _ wasn’t his fault that Ashe waved, and that he waved back. That’s a completely normal thing to do. Felix waved to lots of people. Yeah.

“You aren’t?” Sylvain straightened, cocking a brow with a knowing smile. Felix wanted to wipe it off of his stupid damn face. “Could have fooled me. From what I understand, you flirted in the presence of both the Goddess and Hello Kitty.”

“I told him about the time you forced me to read My Immortal,” Felix deadpanned. “Does that sound like flirting to you?”

“Since when do you give out personal information about yourself to strangers you ‘don’t care about’?” Sylvain volleyed back infuriatingly. Felix curled his lip. It wasn’t  _ personal information _ . It was something to keep the conversation going. Besides, Ashe thought it was funny. He laughed. It wasn’t like he was swooning over some deep dark secret. 

“I’m done talking about it.”

“Okay, alright. Get defensive and prickly about it,” Sylvain acquiesced with a grin, lifting his hands placatingly in surrender. “All I’m saying is, whether you realize it or not, there’s something going on here. I think at the very  _ least _ , you’re making a new friend.”

Felix scoffed, crossing his arms. “I don’t even know him, Sylvain. I know he likes  _ magical girl anime _ and Keroppi.”

Sylvain’s eyes brightened. “The frog? Oh, he’s a keeper, Felix. But, wait, which anime? Madoka Magica?”

“Stop,” Felix groaned, spinning on his heel to actually get lunch on his lunch break. He took time from his break to talk to his friend only to be mocked. Thanks, Sylvain.  _ Asshole. _ “I’m going to Chick Fil A. Do you want anything?”

“Oh!” He heard Sylvain clap his hands together behind him. “Can I get a milkshake?”

“That isn’t food.”

“ _ Please _ ? I won’t bring up your little crush ever again.”

Felix’s eyes widened, and he whipped around with such force that he made himself dizzy for just a moment. Sylvain broke out into cackles that would make a hyena proud, and if there weren’t about three security cameras that would catch Felix strangling the daylights out of his best friend, he’d leap over the counter and do it. “You aren’t getting  _ shit,”  _ Felix hissed instead.

“Good, because I didn’t ask for shit. I asked very nicely for a  _ milkshake _ .”

Felix deemed that statement unworthy of a response and instead spun around and stormed out, his hands balled into fists at his sides. He didn’t have a crush on Ashe. He didn’t even  _ know  _ him. He was just… a work acquaintance. Sure, it was true they’d talked a few times since Ashe’s visit to the Sanrio store, but it was only in passing. And when Ashe came in for a gift for his brother.  _ And _ when Ingrid sent Felix back for another Funko Pop. And then yesterday when they both clocked out at midnight and Felix walked Ashe to the bus stop. It wasn’t like that, really— Felix had just parked on the edge of the parking lot anyway, and Ashe was still talking, so it would have been so damn awkward just to leave right there. Alright… so they  _ could  _ be close to friends. But it  _ wasn’t  _ a crush. Felix didn’t think about Ashe every waking moment. It was nice to see him on occasion, and it was… nice talking to him. That’s it. 

Maybe he needed to start drinking, too.

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 3. Get to know each other**

Ashe tugged off his lanyard as he left the store in the capable hands of Bernadetta for his lunch break. Though she was just a trainee (and getting over some crippling shyness), she had a knack for organization and media recommendations that kept her talking.

The closest restaurant was Chick Fil A, directly across from Hot Topic, and while Ashe loved to joke and call it “homophobic chicken” to friends, he had to admit that it was good. Really, he didn’t particularly enjoy supporting a company that denied the rights of people like him, but… they made some damn good chicken.

Standing in the back of the line, Ashe’s eyes wandered idly as he rocked on his heels, hands shoved in his pockets. Movement caught the corner of his eye, and his gaze flicked down only to catch  _ Felix  _ of all people storming out of Spencer’s like someone had spat upon the very ground he stood on. What did Spencer’s ever do to him? Maybe he just found out what they carry in the back…

Much to his pleasant surprise, Felix joined the line behind him, but seemed unaware of Ashe’s presence. Maybe he was still fuming over whatever had pissed him off so much. Or maybe he just hadn’t seen him around the person between them. But how could he miss the hair? He was told it was like a beacon by friends and condescending middle aged women alike. Maybe Felix was ignoring him… Maybe Ashe had read everything wrong. His eyes flicked up to the Chick Fil A sign. What if Felix didn’t like guys? What if Ashe’s flirting had made him uncomfortable? It wasn’t like Ashe had eyes on him from the start or anything! It’s just… when a nice, mysterious, funny guy with a permanent scowl smiles for you sometimes and then walks you to the bus stop at midnight under buzzing sodium lights… it’d make anyone go weak in the knees. And Ashe hasn’t  _ meant  _ to flirt. He was just being playful, and then it escalated… He thought Felix might have been receptive, but here he was in line for Homophobic Chicken. Well, so was Ashe, but…

“Hi! How may I serve you today? Oh! Hello, Ashe. On your lunch break?” 

Ashe was broken from his reverie by another work friend— Dimitri— who smiled at him cheerily from the other side of the counter. He flashed a grin, watching the other man’s single eye light up. The other was covered with a red eyepatch that matched his uniform. “Finally, yeah,” he replied. “Got yours any time soon?”

Dimitri shook his head, and Ashe flashed him an apologetic smile. “I suppose I’m… on the grind, as you’d say.”

That pulled a laugh from Ashe’s chest. Dimitri was a strange amalgamation of a man— he had the face of a convict (it was definitely the eyepatch), the personality of a golden retriever, and the demeanor of a sheltered homeschooler. Ashe loved him to death, really. He was the sweetest thing… “Doing great, Dimitri! Almost through the week, right?” 

Ashe prattled off his order, paid, and departed with a cheery, “Tell Dedue I said hello!” to which Dimitri gave him a thumbs up. Dedue had actually been the one to give Ashe several of his piercings— he worked at Claire’s on the ground floor.

“It would be my pleasure!”

Ashe grinned, a pep in his step, and spun around only to catch Felix staring right back at him. He’d almost forgotten the man was in line as well. “Oh! Felix! Getting lunch?”

“Yeah,” the dark haired man replied, cocking a brow. “You seem popular.”

“Aw, not really,” Ashe chuckled, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck. So Felix  _ wasn’t  _ ignoring him. “Well, if you wanna be a  _ cool kid _ too, you could sit with me. If—If you want!”  _ Ugh, what?  _ What was this, high school?  _ Get it together, Ashe... _

Felix cocked a brow and huffed out a little laugh that made Ashe’s face heat up. “Fine. Grab a table and I’ll be right there.”

Ashe gave him a salute (and immediately regretted it because  _ who the hell does that? _ ), plopping himself down at an empty table and waiting for his food and Felix. He thanked the person who dropped off his tray and munched on a few fries as Felix sat down across from him, a drink and milkshake in hand.

“Want a fry?” Ashe offered, shaking his fry container with a little smile. Felix eyed it carefully before tentatively reaching for a fry.

“Thanks.”

“Did you get lunch or just a milkshake?” Ashe asked wryly, nodding toward the sweet treat on the table. He didn’t peg Felix for one with a sweet tooth, but the man  _ did  _ consistently continue to surprise him.

“It’s for my friend,” Felix explained after he’d finished his fry. “He’s the manager at Spencer’s. He’s an asshole and I shouldn’t be giving him anything, but I wanted the cherry on top.”

Sure enough, the maraschino cherry that usually sat upon the whipped cream was already gone. That had no right to be as endearing as it was…

“Ah, so is  _ he  _ the one who made you storm out of there a few minutes ago?”

“You saw that?” Felix wrinkled up his nose, looking only very slightly sheepish before returning to mildly pissed. “Yeah. He’s just… difficult.” 

“A lover’s quarrel,” Ashe sighed out dreamily, faking a swoon as he popped another fry into his mouth. Felix groaned in protest, making Ashe dissolve into giggles.

“ _ No _ . He’s literally insufferable. I’d rather date a brick wall. If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve known him since I was a literal baby, I would have punched him right in the mouth years ago.”

Ashe winced sympathetically, mentally channeling whoever Felix’s friend was and apologizing on Felix’s behalf for being, quite bluntly, a little asshat.

And it was as if the Goddess had heeded his nonexistent call, or maybe he was actually psychic, but somewhere to their left, a voice called out  _ “ _ Felix! You got my milkshake!” And then, “I guess my milkshakes  _ do  _ bring the boys to the yard. Who’s this?” Ashe glanced up as a rather tall man with bright red hair and a handsome smile sent him a wink and clapped a hand onto the back of Felix’s chair. “Wait, don’t tell me,” the man continued just as Ashe opened his mouth to introduce himself. “Ashe, right? The one that works at Hot Topic?”

“Ahah, that’s me,” Ashe replied sheepishly. “What gave it away, the piercings? The hair?”

“Nah. Well, a little. Felix has told me all about you, that’s all.”

Felix promptly choked on his Coke, eyes flying wide and looking rather menacing as he turned his fiery gaze on his friend. Ashe blinked.  _ Felix… talked about him? _ His gaze wandered again to Felix’s friend, who was now in what looked like a heated argument, except only one side was heated, and it was Felix. One glance down to his name tag provided the name “ _ Sylvain ;)” _ , and right above it… a button that read “my eyes are up here”. 

“Oh!” Ashe blurted, and both sets of eyes focused on him. “Sorry! Um, it’s just that— he’s told me about you, too, Sylvain.” Sylvain blinked, eyes brightening and a grin blooming on his face complete with dimples. “He picked out that button for you at the store. And you were the one who made him read My Immortal.”

Sylvain broke into a megawatt grin, letting out a rich guffaw of laughter that started Ashe into jumping in his seat. “Yeah! Yeah, I was. I like you, Ashe.” He then turned a rather predatory gaze toward Felix, who seemed to understand what this strange message meant and bared his teeth in a rather impressive grimace.  _ Huh. _ Sylvain glanced back to Ashe, snatched his milkshake from Felix, and took a sip while he gave him a once over. Ashe felt his cheeks heat at the scrutiny; it didn’t look lascivious or anything— just… neutral. He wasn’t sure what Sylvain was looking for, but after a split second of appraisal, he seemed to be done and offered a hand in a shake. “Let me actually introduce myself. I’m Sylvain— wingman extraordinaire and probably the reason why Felix is still functioning to this day. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he continued with another wink. Ashe pursed his lips— Sylvain was an attractive man, he had to admit, and it seemed that Sylvain himself knew it, too. “I just like to see who Felix makes friends with, you know? He doesn’t make a lot of friends— he’s prickly and hates everyone.”

“I do not—“

“But you seem great. I mean, he talks about you  _ all  _ the  _ time _ and he doesn’t do that unless he—“

“Good _ bye _ , Sylvain. Don’t you have something important to be doing? Like, I don’t know, managing a store?” Felix all but growled, his voice dripping with venom. Ashe had to bite a lip around a smile, but it faltered as soon as he realized… Felix was  _ blushing _ . 

“What are you gonna do, tell my manager? I  _ am _ the manager, buddy. But, fine, okay. I’ll quit bothering you for now.” Sylvain gave his friend a few rough pats on the back before nodding at Ashe and turning back around to head to Spencer’s, happily sipping at his milkshake. “You kids don’t get too crazy, okay?”

Felix flipped him off, staring down at the food that had arrived amidst the chaos. He began to pick at it with a scowl on his face. 

“Hey,” Ashe said softly, and Felix lifted his gaze after a moment. “Sylvain is… really something, huh?”

Felix’s scowl deepened. “Yeah.”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he continued, and Felix’s head whipped up, his lips parting no doubt to defend himself when Ashe proceeded, “I still think you’re cool— don’t worry.”

Felix sputtered, his pretty amber eyes going wide before he flushed to the tips of his ears.  _ Cute _ . 

“Want a fry?”

Felix took one.

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 4. Exchange contact information**

It was raining when Felix’s shift finally ended. He’d cut on the security alarm, closed the store off, and shrugged on his jacket as the back door closed behind him when he heard the sound of an umbrella opening beside him. He nearly leapt out of his skin, eyes wide and ready to swing before a pair of kind, mossy eyes met his own. He glanced up to the umbrella now held over his head— it was covered in little images of Nyan Cat flying through space. 

“Didn’t want you to get wet,” Ashe offered softly.

“They really love giving you the late shifts, huh?” Felix replied in lieu of a thanks. He watched as Ashe shrugged, scuffing his already-scuffed converse on the wet pavement.

“I take the night shifts myself,” he replied with a little smile, “I don’t want anyone else to have to walk alone in the dark, you know?” Ashe yawned, and Felix watched as he carefully stepped close enough to Felix that he could cover him fully with the umbrella. Their arms brushed as they stood just outside the back doors to their respective stores.

“But then  _ you  _ have to walk alone in the dark,” Felix replied with a furrow in his brow. He knew Ashe was kind, but being selfless was an entirely different story. They began to walk, rain pattering all around them; the puddles in the parking lot reflected the buzzing streetlights scattered throughout it. All in all, it was as peaceful as it was eerie. Felix probably wouldn’t willingly choose to walk home in this shit no matter what.

“Well, yeah, I know. I just think it’s probably better for me to be the one out here instead of someone like Bernadetta.” Felix had met her girl on occasion and had to agree; not only was it dangerous, but she’d absolutely be a nervous wreck. 

“Do you know how to defend yourself?”

A strange look crossed Ashe’s face before he nodded, pursing his lips.  _ Weird. _ He couldn’t quite parse out what it meant, but it didn’t seem pleasant. “I can be scrappy when I need to be,” was all Ashe offered in explanation. “Besides, do you think anyone would try to mug me when I look like this?” The other man motioned to his piercings and edgy jewelry with his free hand, sticking out his tongue to reveal a silver stud there as well. Felix’s eyes widened minutely. He hadn’t seen  _ that  _ one before. Ashe had a point except for the fact that he had the face of a cherub. The piercings and spiky accessories would be intimidating— just on someone else. It was like the way a hedgehog was still cute even covered in spines. Not that he thought Ashe was  _ cute _ or anything. He just… had a sweet face and a kind smile. That’s all. 

“You’re what, like, 5’4”? You weigh 100 pounds soaking wet and a strong breeze could send you sailing. I don’t think so,” Felix replied dryly, watching Ashe’s jaw drop with unrestrained amusement. 

“I’m the same height as you!” Ashe yelped indignantly. “And I weigh more than that, thank you very much. You’re the skinny one. And I’m… fast. And I might not be that intimidating, but I know what to do. I can play dirty.” He puffed out his chest with a little determined scowl, and Felix found himself biting back a smile. 

“Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.”

“Besides, I won’t have to whip out any of my moves when you’re here.”

Felix blinked, accidentally stepping in a puddle and splashing nasty water all over his shoes. “Eugh. Hold on, your  _ moves _ ?” This time, Felix actually did laugh. He couldn’t help but imagine Ashe trying to do some crazy karate move on some poor unsuspecting soul in a dark parking lot. “And you know I won’t always have the closing shift, right?”

“I know,” Ashe hummed. “But you  _ do  _ have it a lot. It’s nice to walk and talk like this.”

Felix had to admit, he enjoyed it more than he wanted to admit. “Yeah. It is.”

They were approaching the bus stop. Ashe always rode public transit to and from work for reasons Felix never pried into. He’d offer a ride, but he didn’t want to seem weird about it, nor was his own motorcycle really equipped for two people. As they got closer, Felix could make out two figures in dark clothes standing under the shelter of the bus stop. He narrowed his eyes. The bus would come soon, but Felix needed to get home (fostering a kitten was a pain in the ass). He  _ really  _ didn’t like the idea of Ashe having to wait alone with some shady bastards. 

“Give me your phone,” he blurted without really thinking. Ashe’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Wh— Um, why?”

“I’m putting my number in so you can text me when you get home.”

Ashe was staring at him, he could feel it, but his gaze was glued straight ahead. “Okay,” he replied finally, softly, and handed his unlocked phone to Felix. The home screen wallpaper was some bubbly, colorful anime that Felix was sure was sickly sweet. He raised a brow. “It’s, um. It’s a good show,” Ashe mumbled sheepishly. Felix shook his head and quickly typed his number in along with his name and passed the phone back to Ashe. 

“I’ll assume you’re dead if you don’t text me,” Felix said, earning himself a laugh from Ashe and a warm, fond smile. 

“Well, I’ve managed to get myself  _ and  _ my siblings this far, so I think I’m good.” Felix furrowed his brow. Him  _ and  _ his siblings?  _ Did that mean..?  _ Well, it would explain why Ashe was buying them gifts all the time. The more he learned about Ashe, the more… well, the more he wanted to know. Ashe seemed to realize he’d revealed more than he meant to, his gaze darting away as Felix stepped out from under his umbrella. “But I will. I promise. Thanks, Felix. Drive safe, okay? And text me back so I know you didn’t, like… hydroplane or something.”

“Fine. I will.” 

Felix watched as Ashe walked to the bus stop, then gave the two figures the meanest look he could muster up before turning to make his way to his bike.

He’d just put his keys down and scooped his foster kitten from the floor when his phone buzzed with a message.

(***) ***-****  
  
I'm not dead!! ^^  
  
Glad to hear it.  
  
i see you aren't either  
  
we both made it back in one piece!!  
  
Those weirdos didn't give you trouble?  
  
aw they aren't weirdos. i actually knew one of them!! small world right?  
  
How do you know literally everyone?  
  
connections, my dear felix  
  
also i definitely remember sylvain saying you were too prickly for friends  
  
Don't take what he says at face value. But so?  
  
meaning........ what if i'm not the one with connections...... but you just don't make any?  
  
Rude.  
  
just saying!! glad you chose to make friends with me tho ^^  
  
i'm exhausted so i think i'm gonna crash  
  
Alright. Goodnight.  
  
night!!  
  
and thanks for checking up on me btw ^^ i really appreciate it  
  
No problem. See you tomorrow.  
  


Felix had made his way to his room as he texted, tucking his phone away and setting the kitten gently on the end of his bed, and found, much to his chagrin, that he was… smiling. He puffed out a sigh and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He’d gotten as far as splashing water on his face before he sighed, toweled off, pulled out his phone, and dialed up his best friend.

“Faerghus Sperm Bank, you squeeze it, we freeze it, how may I—“

“Sylvain.” He half considered hanging up on his friend for that stupid intro alone. He didn’t call to spill his feelings to hear… that.

“Whoa, is everything okay? What’s up with the—“

It took him a few seconds to scrounge up the words, but he finally gritted out, “You were right.”

“Well, duh, of course I am,” Sylvain replied, and Felix could hear the grin in his voice. “About what, though?”

“Ashe.”

A moment of silence, and then Sylvain whooped on the other end of the line, followed by the world’s largest wolf whistle. Felix had to old the phone away from his ear, wincing. “Fe _ lix _ , my  _ man _ ! So what are you gonna do?”

“Nothing.”

“Wh… Wait, what? Nothing? You can’t do nothing! What do you mean—“

“Don’t tell  _ me  _ not to do nothing, Mr. I Hate Commitment.”

“You  _ know _ why I’m the way that I am,” Sylvain whined. “Besides, this isn’t about me.”

“I just… I can’t. Look, I’m just figuring it out. I can’t leap into it right now. Just chill out— I don’t jump every person I’m attracted to unlike you.” Felix pinched the bridge of his nose, staring at himself in the mirror with a scowl. Putting the phone on speaker, he set it on the sink and took his hair down, starting to peel off his clothes.

“I didn’t mean you should  _ jump _ him. What about… asking him on a date?”

Felix grimaced, tossing his shirt into the laundry hamper and missing. From his bedroom, the kitten mewled curiously. “We  _ just  _ exchanged numbers. Slow the fuck down.”

“You’re already going at a snail’s pace, Fe. Wait. Is that the cat?”

“You mean the one you guilted me into fostering? Yes.”

“You made the final decision. That’s not on me, bud.”

“Look,” Felix sighed, scooping up the shirt and actually managing to get it in the basket this time. “Let me think about this whole thing. I just wanted to… tell you. Don’t ask me why.”

“It’s because you love me,” Sylvain hummed, sounding very much pleased with himself. “But you know who you love more? Ash—“

Felix hung up, groaned, and face planted onto his bed. A few moments later, he felt tiny paws pad onto his back, then something small and warm curl up right in the dip of his spine.

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 5. Do something thoughtful for them**

Ashe held the little silk bag in his hands, taking a deep breath as he made his way across the mall. It was just a gift. Friends give each other gifts all the time, right? But friends usually don’t have crushes on their friends that they’re giving gifts to…. Agh…

“Why are you so nervous?” his sister asked, skipping along beside him and eyeing just about every window display on her way. Her silver braids were bouncing on her freckled shoulders, the single streak of hot pink she’d begged Ashe to dye in her hair beginning to fade to a light pastel. 

“I’m not  _ nervous, _ I’m just—“

“Nervous,” his brother singsonged from his other side, grinning with a face that matched his sister’s to a T. The only ways they could be told apart were their hair and their clothes— other than that, they shared just about everything. Beyond that, they looked almost identical to Ashe, as well. If he had a nickel for every time someone asked if they were his kids, he wouldn’t have to work at Hot Topic.

“It’s just… what if he doesn’t like it?”

“Re _ lax _ ,” his sister replied with all the wisdom of an adult in a ten year old’s body. “We all like it. It’s cute. And it makes sense. You said he has a motorcycle. And he works in the Hello Kitty store, sooo…”

“Well, the  _ Sanrio _ store but—“

“Same difference,” her twin continued.

“That doesn’t even make any sense—“

“Look,” the boy interrupted, eyeing Ashe with more confidence than Ashe had in his entire body. “If he doesn’t like it, tell him he can… go eat a shoe.” Ashe raised a brow, biting his lip to hold back a snicker. “Because you did this for him because you think he’s cool and you like him, and if he isn’t nice about it, you don’t even need to talk to him anymore!”

“Oh, geez, well…” Ashe  _ really  _ didn’t want to just stop talking to Felix over a  _ Hello Kitty keychain. _ He liked him more than that. Besides, he highly doubted Felix would tell him he hated it even if he truly did. Though the man was prickly, blunt, and downright rude at times, he’d never hurt Ashe’s feelings. It was… nice. “I don’t think I should do  _ that _ , but…”

“It’s because you  _ liiike _ him,” his sister hummed with a grin, eyeing Ashe mischievously. Her brother wore an identical look on his other side. Ashe’s eyes widened— they were almost right up on the Sanrio store! What if Felix heard?

“Shh!” he hushed them as they paused outside the entrance, “We’re here. Wanna come in? He won’t bite, I promise.”

“We don’t want your cooties!” the twins announced in unison before bursting into giggles and chattering amongst themselves. 

“Well… alright. Yell if you need me, okay? And stay where I can see you.”

His siblings’ eyes were wide, focused on something behind him as they came to a stop, and at Ashe’s puzzled look, they squealed, pointed behind him, and scattered to either side of the entrance to the Sanrio store. Dread sank low in Ashe’s stomach. Felix was right behind him, wasn’t he…?

“I thought I was seeing things. You brought your clones,” came Felix’s rich deadpan. Ashe turned, nearly jumping out of his skin, and the silk bag flew right out of his hand. Quick as a whip, Felix’s hand shot out to catch it, one dark brow cocked. “You dropped this.”

“A-Actually, you did.” Felix blinked, brow furrowing.  _ Oh, that isn’t what he meant… “ _ I-I mean, it’s yours!”

“This is mine?” Felix’s frown deepened.

“It… it, uh… will be yours..? I mean, it  _ is, _ but I haven’t given it to you yet, except now it’s in your hand, and… uh. Can I try this again?”

“... What?”

Before Felix could say another word, Ashe snatched the drawstring pouch from his hands, leaving him more than a little puzzled.  _ This was a disaster…  _ He could hear his siblings howling with laughter.  _ Come on, Ashe. You carjacked a man for half a bologna sandwich when you were 15… You can give a gift to a cute boy. _

“Uh.”

Immediately, Ashe extended his hand and offered the pouch to Felix. “I got this for you. It’s just… I found this and it reminded me of you, and I meant to be cool and not weird when I gave it to you, but—“

“Hey, relax,” Felix replied, eyeing Ashe with an unusually soft look in his eye as he took the pouch and opened it up. Carefully reaching inside, he pulled out the contents and produced a—

“Hello Kitty on a motorcycle…? Huh.”

“Is it… okay?” Ashe was afraid to look at Felix’s expression, but he did it anyway. What met him there wasn’t disgust or distaste, but… a little fond smile.  _ Oh _ .

“It’s… cute. You know I have a bike?”

“I see you ride off from the bus stop sometimes,” Ashe admitted. He wouldn’t mention that he couldn't stop thinking about the image of Felix in a helmet straddling a motorcycle after he’d seen it the first time. “And I know you hate Hello Kitty, but this just… it was too perfect.”

“No, I… like it,” Felix replied awkwardly, though Ashe knew from his tone it was genuine. He immediately clipped the little keychain to his apron, and Ashe beamed. 

“Um. I have to get them some lunch,” he began, nodding toward his siblings, who were both peering around the entrance to watch. Much to his horror, his brother began to make rather loud kissing noises as they made eye contact. His sister must have smacked him then, because the boy recoiled, then grabbed for the girl. They took off squealing and chasing after one another, and Ashe took that as his cue to leave. He flashed Felix an apologetic grin. “Sorry— kids, right?”

Felix blinked, then shook his head with another little smile. “You have your hands full. Maybe you should put them on leashes.”

“They’d chew through them.”

Felix laughed, which seemed to startle himself. His eyes went wide, his mouth snapping shut, and it was all so endearing that Ashe began to laugh softly.

“See you around, Felix.”

“... See you.”

Ashe made for the exit and acted like he wasn’t completely, earth-shatteringly relieved that Felix didn’t hate him. In fact, he was seconds away from clicking his heels in the air when Felix called after him, “Ashe?”

Ashe turned, surprised, and watched Felix expectantly. The man was shifting from foot to foot, his gaze averted. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his hair was falling loose from his ponytail, and—

“Thank you.”

Ashe blinked. “O-Oh. Of course, Felix!” He flashed the other man a grin, a wave, and then turned back around to wrangle his siblings. Was it hot in there or was it just him? His heart was beating like he’d just run a marathon. 

“Your face is all red,” his sister announced loudly, and Ashe grabbed one hand from each of his siblings, dragging them away before they could shout anything else even more embarrassing. 

“You really like him that much?” his brother asked, also unreasonably loud.

“Yeah,” Ashe replied softly. “I think I do.”

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 6. Make them laugh**

“You did  _ not _ .”

“I did!” Ashe laughed out, looking so earnest that Felix had to believe him. “How was I supposed to know it was his grandma’s car?”

“You stole a fucking  _ car _ .”

“I was fifteen!”

“That makes it worse,” Felix groaned, somehow feeling stressed for past-Ashe. His father would have skinned him alive if he did even a quarter of the shit Ashe did. Really, he was still trying to wrap his mind around it all. So far, he’d learned that Ashe was banned from all Kroger’s in a 100 mile radius, used to skateboard and graffiti in arguably the worst part of his hometown, and stole an entire toilet from the home of a kid who made fun of him for the way he dressed. Oh, and it all happened before he turned fifteen. And then  _ carjacking _ ? At fifteen?

“Okay, but what I was saying before I got off track,” Ashe continued, gesturing wildly in the air as he spoke, “So I saw that guy’s best friend today, right?”

“Okay.” Felix was mildly afraid of what was to come next based on what he’d already heard.

“And I had to hide behind the counter because I legally can’t come within 50 feet of him.”

_ What the fuck? _

_ “ _ What the hell did you do to him, Ashe?”

Ashe’s eyes went wide and innocent, and in that moment, it seemed it was impossible that this was the same boy that stole a car, a few AC units, countless skateboards, and merchandise from Kroger all before the age of seventeen. “It’s a  _ really _ long story, but he came at me, and I… broke his nose.”

Felix’s jaw dropped.

“And made out with his girlfriend.”

Felix blinked.

“And made out with his sister’s boyfriend.” Ashe was wringing his hands nervously at this point, gaze averted, and Felix began to laugh. Ashe, a skinny little scene boy with blue hair, did all this shit? Felix doubled over, wheezing, and grabbed the table for support. He could hear Ashe grab for the last of their shared fries, munching nervously.

“Holy  _ fuck,”  _ he gasped out. 

“But he was rich, and I am… not. So he got a restraining order even though it was just self defense. And it’s been six years and it’s still in effect! I mean, given, I  _ did _ provoke him, but… All I did was sell weed to our Biology teacher, but apparently I was  _ ‘stealing his customer base _ ’ and—“ 

“Stop  _ right there _ . You did  _ what? _ ” Felix’s eyes practically bugged from his head, and he felt as if he’d just gotten the wind knocked right out of his lungs.

In the tiniest, most innocent voice Felix had ever heard, Ashe repeated, “Sold weed to our Biology teacher?”

“I wasn’t a good kid, but if I hear one more thing like  _ that _ , I’m gonna have a heart attack. How are you even  _ alive?  _ And not in jail?”

Ashe shrugged, looking sheepish as he fooled with his lip ring. “I’m scrappy?”

Felix snorted. Ashe was  _ much _ more than that. “Well I believe you now.” As he reached for another fry, the timer on his phone buzzed, signaling the end of his lunch break. He grimaced down at his screen— as horrifying as Ashe’s tales were, he wanted to hear more. He wanted to talk with Ashe just a little longer, but instead, he had to return to pink, frilly hell. “I have to clock back in,” he grumbled in explanation as Ashe fixed a quizzical gaze on him. Popping the fry into his mouth, he turned the alarm off and stood, though a peculiar weight in his pocket reminded him of what he’d meant to do before Ashe illustrated his hooligan shit in great detail. “Oh. Here.” 

He didn’t have any fancy wrapping or anything, but the message would still be the same, hopefully. Felix pulled the figure from his pocket and held it out to Ashe, whose pretty eyes went wide with shock. “Felix! This… I’ve been looking for this figure for ages!”

Felix knew that— Ashe had mentioned that particular Madoka figure with reverence on a few occasions. He also knew it was hard to get a hold of, but both he and Sylvain had connections. “I know,” was all he said.

“Felix!” Ashe repeated, then laughed, staring at the little figure with awe. He grinned so brightly that dimples dotted his freckled cheeks, and then he looked up at Felix with those big green eyes, and it took everything in him not to do something stupid. “Oh, you really shouldn’t have… this is… oh… Thank you!”

Before he could blink, Ashe was standing and closing the distance between them, throwing his arms over Felix’s shoulders in an embrace. Felix stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide, but it only took him a few seconds to hug Ashe right back. He didn’t return all of the enthusiasm (Ashe was squeezing half the air out of him) but he did return all the feeling. He hadn’t expected Ashe to hug him, but… it was nice, especially since Felix couldn't remember the last time he’d genuinely enjoyed a hug. But it was over far too early, with Ashe stepping away and flushing bright pink. “Thank you,” he murmured. “You should clock in before you get in trouble. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, Felix replied dazedly, the feeling of Ashe’s arms around him and his body pressed to his still lingering fresh in his mind. “See you.”

Felix had never clocked into work with a pep in his step until that day.

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 7. Do something daring**

“We keep running into each other out here, huh?”

Ashe watched as Felix, startled, nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Ashe’s voice. The dark haired man whipped around to face Ashe as he closed the back door to the Sanrio store, seeming to soften once their eyes met. It always made Ashe’s heart begin to race….

“You scared the shit out of me,” Felix huffed in that gruff tone that truly held no heat behind it. “I’d say I’m glad you’re not a mugger, but you technically are.”

“Hey!” Ashe frowned, eyeing Felix with complete innocence. “I’ve never  _ mugged _ anyone…” But he  _ had _ committed grand theft auto, plain grand theft, petty theft… Never violence, though! Not unless it was self defense. He wouldn’t voice any of that, however— he'd only give Felix more ammo for teasing, not that he minded the playful banter at his own expense. “Would a mugger walk you to your motorcycle in the cold, scary night?”

“Probably not,” Felix hummed, “but  _ I’m  _ the one walking  _ you _ to the bus stop.” Ashe smiled, biting back a bigger grin as they began to walk side by side. Felix liked to act like he was distant, stoic, and allergic to feelings, but hearing it first hand from the man himself that he was walking Ashe to the bus stop every time they had night shifts together… it gave Ashe butterflies in his belly.

“So chivalry really isn’t dead,” Ashe laughed in response, his elbow knocking into Felix’s as they walked. He really enjoyed this time with Felix, as fleeting as it was. It wasn’t like they never had contact outside of it— they texted, stopped by each other’s stores, and ate lunch together when possible. But this felt… different somehow. He couldn’t quite place it, but inexplicably, it felt unique. Maybe it was the quietness of the night… the sense of being alone together… maybe even the aesthetic appeal of walking with someone you’re most definitely crushing on under the buzz of sodium lights at an hour where time seems to behave differently than normal. Or maybe that was just the hopeless romantic in Ashe… He snuck a glance toward Felix, watching the way his inky hair elegantly caught the artificial light.

“About that,” Felix began, and Ashe cocked his head curiously. “I want to give you a ride home. If… If you want to.” The other man was determinedly looking away, a scowl set on his face. Ashe blinked— that was… not what he expected. 

“Oh,” Ashe breathed, at a loss for words. “I’m okay, Felix. Really. You don’t have to go out of your way.”

“I’m offering because I want to. It’s not a problem,” Felix replied shortly. Ashe had spent enough time with him to know that short, snippy replies meant that he was nervous. He knew Felix wasn’t the cuddliest person, and he could be nervous because he’s actually being openly nice for once instead of passively nice, but… it was interesting nonetheless. 

Ashe flashed him a warm smile, watching Felix almost reluctantly meet his gaze before his eyes widened just a smidge, and then he was turning his head away so fast that Ashe was afraid he’d give himself whiplash. “If you’re positive. I really don’t want to burden you— I’m perfectly fine taking the bus on my own. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Felix snorted, cocking a brow. In the light of one streetlight, Ashe could see color high on his cheekbones. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light… “You don’t have to be under threat of death to let me take you home. I’m not doing it because I think an axe murderer is waiting for you on the bus.”

“Then why  _ are _ you doing it?” Ashe asked before he really thought about it. His eyes widened and so did Felix’s. “O-Oh, I didn’t mean for that to sound like— I mean, I’m  _ very  _ thankful for the offer, don’t get me wrong, but—“

“I just wanted to do it, okay?” Felix ground out, effectively stopping Ashe’s ramble in its tracks. The other man seemed to backtrack, realizing he sounded a bit too aggressive than he probably meant to, and sighed. “I just… I care about you, alright? You make me want to do nice things.” Felix curled up his lip at the last awkward admission as if it disgusted him. Of course Felix would react to something sweet like that. Nonetheless, it warmed Ashe’s heart to hear it. He didn’t really do anything special to garner such a reaction from Felix, but he appreciated it nonetheless. The small part of his brain that always wanted to give Felix a kiss on the cheek was rejoicing. Ashe laughed softly, wiping the grimace from Felix’s face as fast as lighting. The expression that replaced it was mostly awe with a pinch of something unreadable. 

“You make me want to do nice things, too,” Ashe said softly, watching Felix’s eyes go wide and his cheeks definitely gain some color. He simply smiled back. 

They soon approached Felix’s bike, a pleasant silence falling over them as Felix inspected it for flats before producing a sleek, black helmet seemingly from nowhere. “Here,” he said, holding the helmet out to Ashe. “Safety first.”

Ashe held the helmet awkwardly in his hands; he’d never ridden a motorcycle, nor put on one of these helmets for real (he  _ did _ for a cosplay, but it was a fake helmet because real ones were too damn expensive). Before he could say a word, Felix seemed to sense how lost he was and sighed, ambling back over and taking the helmet. This close, Ashe could see the way Felix’s dark lashes fanned over his cheeks when he blinked.

“It just pops right on. Here. Hold still.” Felix’s brows furrowed as he lowered the helmet over Ashe’s head, gently pushing it on until Ashe was gazing back at him through the eye shield. “It fits snug, and then you fasten it here.” Felix’s finger grazed Ashe’s neck and left fire in their wake as he took the two fastening straps in hand, weaving one through the buckle on the other and pulling it snug against Ashe’s chin. “That good?”

“Yeah,” Ashe murmured, eyes accidentally straying to Felix’s lips. Thankfully, Felix didn’t seem to notice.  _ Don’t be thirsty, Ashe… He’s just putting a helmet on you… _ “Yeah,” Ashe repeated, firmly and less like a dreamy idiot this time. Satisfied with his work, Felix turned and walked back to his motorcycle, swinging one leg over the seat before staring expectantly back at Ashe. He blinked. “Wait— don’t you have a helmet, too?”

“That’s mine,” Felix explained simply, nodding toward the helmet currently fastened to Ashe’s head. 

“Wh— Wait, you need it,” Ashe replied, frowning as he attempted to unfasten the straps to no avail. What was Felix thinking? He couldn’t ride without a helmet, and Ashe couldn’t wear it in good conscience…

“Hey, hey,” Felix began, shaking his head. “I don’t need it. I gave it to you because I know what I’m doing and I’d rather have you protected if I’m the one that offered to take you home. It’s fine.” Ashe was unconvinced, his frown pitiful in an attempt to win Felix over and get him to change his mind. The other man sighed, still shaking his head. “Nope. Wear it. I’ll have it after I drop you off if that makes you feel any better.”

Ashe had no choice but to acquiesce; Felix was just about as stubborn as he himself was, and they’d be standing in the parking lot until sunrise if they both got ornery. He sighed, pursing his lips as he shuffled to the bike. It was only when he was figuring out how to swing his leg over the seat that he realized—  _ oh, fuck. I have to hold onto Felix. _ Of  _ course _ he did. Ashe wasn’t sure why it hadn’t clicked earlier that two people on one motorcycle equals getting up close and personal with each other. Well… there was no going back now.

“Sorry,” Ashe muttered as he awkwardly began to straddle the seat behind Felix, knocking into him and bracing himself on the bike behind him so he didn’t have to grab onto Felix for balance. 

“It’s fine. Hold onto me. It’ll make it easier. I don’t have cooties.” Felix seemed amused by Ashe’s flustered fumbling, and it only proved to fluster Ashe even more.

“O-Okay,” he replied sheepishly, settling himself down with one hand on Felix’s shoulders.

“You’re gonna fall off like that. Wrap your arms around me,” Felix continued, then after a moment of silence he must have misconstrued, added, “If you’re uncomfortable, put both hands on my shoulders and hold on tight.”

“N-No, it’s just… I’ve never ridden one of these things,” Ashe stammered in reply, hoping to convey that he wasn’t uncomfortable with the notion of wrapping his arms around Felix’s waist. Really, it was the opposite, but… “I don’t want to make  _ you  _ uncomfortable.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I was uncomfortable,” came Felix’s simple reply, and Ashe couldn’t argue with that. He wound his arms around Felix’s waist, watching the man tie his dark ponytail into a tight bun. “Hold on.” With that, Felix folded the kickstand with a kick and started the bike, gaining momentum before they took off through the parking lot. Ashe briefly tightened his hold around Felix as they began to gain speed, pressing close to him. He could feel Felix’s laughter against his chest. 

They knew where each other lived thanks to a late night conversation about mutual friends. Surprisingly (as he worked at  _ Sanrio _ ) Felix lived in a rather ritzy part of town. Ashe had been embarrassed to tell him about his own run down apartment building in what was arguably the second worst area in the city (he grew up in the  _ absolute  _ worst one), but Felix didn’t seem to mind. After all, he  _ was _ driving Ashe there in the dead of night. Ashe didn’t need to direct him, nor could he through the roar of the motorcycle that he could even feel rumbling beneath him. All in all, it was…  _ exhilarating _ . Ashe felt like one of those YA novel protagonists in some indie coming of age story where everyone had a name like  _ Kai _ , or  _ January _ . Not that he was an expert on those or anything… Ashe was 22, but he could have a little fun like in one of those books, right? He  _ was  _ on the back of a motorcycle holding onto a cute boy… The fact that Felix rode a motorcycle was hot enough as it was, but the way he offered Ashe a ride home  _ and  _ put his helmet on for him? Ashe could have passed out right there and then.

Unfortunately, the ride ended up being depressingly short. The motorcycle purred to a stop outside Ashe’s apartment building, and Ashe reluctantly untangled his arms from Felix’s waist. He stumbled off the motorcycle with the grace of a newborn giraffe, beginning to fiddle with the helmet before he felt two calloused hands replacing his own on the straps. Ashe could simply stare, eyes wide, as Felix undid his helmet and slipped it off. There was an odd look in the other’s eye for only a split second before it was replaced with a wry twitch of the lips. “Nice hair.”

Ashe’s hands flew to his hair, combing down aqua locks in an effort to look presentable. Helmet hair couldn’t be easy on the eyes, but that bright, amused look on Felix’s face was almost worth it. “Hey! You know I can’t help it.”

“I know. You’re fun to tease. Your reactions are over the top. In… a good way, I guess.”

Ashe blinked, his cheeks growing warm as he smiled and averted his gaze. “W-Well… Thank you for the ride. I wish I could invite you inside, but my siblings are asleep, and my landlord is… weird.” He grimaced just thinking about the woman. She was motherly, but something about her felt off. She seemed to know a lot more about any given subject than she let on.

“It’s fine,” Felix replied, scrubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. “We can just… do something another time if you’re set on making it up to me. But there’s nothing to make up.”

“Still… I just want to do something nice for you.” Ashe smiled, noticing just how close they stood once more. They lapsed into silence, simply gazing at the other; Ashe wasn’t sure about Felix, but he knew his own gaze held more than a few words unspoken. A little voice in the back of his mind  _ really  _ loved chattering about how great it would be if Felix just leaned in and kissed him. The rest of Ashe’s functional brain was focused on the pretty amber of Felix’s eyes, and how he felt Felix’s laugh against him as they rode, and the slope of the other man’s Cupid’s bow, and his snarky stoicness that gave way to softness for those he cared about, and…  _ Oh, he was in deep… _

Felix’s lips were parted, and he seemed trapped in his own reverie until the barking of a dog nearby brought him back to earth. Ashe finally tore his gaze off of the other man’s lips and smiled, albeit shakily. “I should go,” Felix announced, voice soft and low. It drew Ashe in and made his heart sink in disappointment all at once. Of course, Felix didn’t owe him anything nor did he have to stay longer. Honestly, he probably stayed longer than he should have for Ashe’s sake. 

“Me, too,” Ashe replied, scuffing his converse on the cracked pavement beneath his feet. Glancing back up, he gave Felix his softest smile; no doubt a product of his tenderness for the man. “Thank you, Felix. Have a good night.” 

Felix seemed frozen in his tracks. Though he claimed he needed to leave, he didn’t make any move to do so. It was like he was staring with rapt, awed attention at… Ashe. Finally, Ashe’s words seemed to register in his brain and Felix blinked a few times, his gaze flicking away. “Yeah. You, too.” With that, the other man backed up a few steps, sending a wave Ashe’s way before backing directly into his bike and stumbling. Cursing, he whipped around to face the offending object as Ashe began to laugh. Felix glanced over his shoulder, that same strange expression replacing his scowl before he turned his attention back to the motorcycle. “I, uh. That didn’t happen.”

“What didn’t happen?” Ashe replied with an overdramatic wink and a nod that made his whole body move. Felix rolled his eyes, but his lips twisted into a smile— a genuine one. As Ashe entered his apartment building, he heard the rev of Felix’s motorcycle and listened until it disappeared into the distance.

_ Elevator under maintenance _ , read the crumpled sign on the elevator that had apparently been under maintenance for the good part of a year. Ashe didn’t mind; the stairs were just exercise, right?

Besides, he felt like he could take them two at a time.

~~~~~~~~~

**Step 8. Ask them out**

Ashe  
  
You're off today, right?  
  
yes! why? owo  
  
Well I WAS going to ask if you want dinner. I don’t feel like cooking and the cat begs for my food when I bring it home. But you’ve convinced me otherwise.  
  
:’((((  
  
:’’’’’(((((((((((  
  
Why does your frowny face gain more chins as it gets sadder?  
  
they aren’t chins!! they’re more frowns because the sadness is unbearable  
  
look at all those tears!! :(((  
  
Fine. Mop them up. My offer is valid again.  
  
i'd love to <3 ^^ what were you thinking?  
  
Just a burger place or something. We can take it and eat it somewhere else.  
  
oooooh, mysterious  
  
like where? the park? :O the flowers should be blooming now so that would be nice!  
  
unless you have allergies  
  
like a nerd  
  
I don’t have allergies. I am not a nerd.  
  
i think you are, with or without allergies :^)  
  
I’ll rescind my offer.  
  
you won’t!!! bet  
  
I won’t.  
  
hah!!  
  
do you wanna say we can meet around 5:30?  
  
Sure. I’ll pick you up.  
  
do you have a helmet for yourself this time?? >:(  
  
I’ll drive an actual car.  
  
where do you keep getting these vehicles??? smh  
  
I literally only have a bike and this car. The car is technically my brother's.  
  
yeah ok  
  
You can walk to the restaurant.  
  
you wouldn’t ;)  
  
I wouldn’t.  
  
^^ <3  
  


  
  
  


Felix tucked his phone away, shaking his head with a smile twitching at his lips. He let it stay this time. Glancing at his watch, he figured he had about an hour and a half before he had to leave to pick Ashe up. The cat wove between his legs and mewed insistently, blue eyes wide as she stared up at him. Unfortunately, as she grew, he found himself growing attached enough to adopt her himself. “I just gave you food,” he chided her with fond exasperation. “You won’t starve in the time I go to dinner.” She seemed unconvinced. The tip of her fluffy tail twitched as she seemed to turn up her chin and prance out of the room.  _ Spoiled brat _ . 

Still, Felix could feel her eyes on him as he milled about his room, pulling out one shirt before wrinkling his nose and putting it back in favor of another. And then another. This wasn’t  _ Project Runway.  _ This was  _ dinner.  _ Felix didn’t understand why it was so difficult to just pick out a damn shirt and go with it, but his mind kept straying to what Ashe might think when he saw him. He wanted to pretend he didn’t know why, but he did. He put the first shirt back because it was too baggy, and the second shirt because it seemed too casual. The third shirt, however… well, it made him look good. Vain activities such as obsessively staring at one’s form in the mirror were on Felix’s list of Top Ways to Waste Your Time, but… suddenly it mattered to him how his stupid shirts fit him, and he hated it. Well, he hated that he was so affected by his… current interests. He didn’t hate the interests themselves— he’d begrudgingly come to terms with them weeks ago.

Felix donned the dark shirt and his jean jacket, wondering if Ashe might playfully tease him for his black jeans (he might have gotten them at Hot Topic, back off). He redid his ponytail about five times before he finally fixed it in a way that didn’t make it look like the lovechild of a combover and a bird’s nest, and then sighed in frustration because *putting in real effort to look good for someone else was exhausting and stupid but he still wanted to do it because he’s stupid and Ashe’s smile was cute*. Ugh.

He checked his watch after wrestling with his appearance, noting that he had about a half hour until he picked Ashe up. Considering Ashe lived about that far away, he decided it was time to go. He didn’t have any excuse to keep fretting over his appearance now— he’d be late if he did. Grabbing his backpack and the keys to his brother’s car, he bid his car goodbye and locked the door behind him as he made his way to the car. He didn’t have an extra helmet, so he’d have to suffer in his brother’s stupid old refinished car like he was straight out of a bad CW show. Maybe Ashe liked bad CW shows. Unfortunately, even if Ashe was a Supernatural stan, Felix would still associate with him. 

The drive was fairly uneventful aside from a few minor acts of road rage on Felix’s part (you have a blinker for a  _ reason, fuckface),  _ and soon he was pulling up to the apartment building. It seemed Ashe had already been waiting, as when he pulled his phone out to text the man, he opened the lobby doors with a warm smile on his face and waved to Felix as he approached the car. Felix’s first thought was: *He looks nice*. His hair had been combed neatly, his teal hair faded to a pastel blue and revealing ashy roots at the top of his head. He’d exchanged his usual black u-shaped bar on his lip for a simple silver ring to match his septum and a few of the piercings on his ears. Surprisingly, his outfit looked more like he stepped out of a Hollister rather than a Hot Topic— his simple burgundy sweatshirt had a little embroidered cherub complete with a bow and arrow in black stitching upon the breast. Over it was a jean jacket with all manners of patches depicting snakes, flowers, more bows and arrows, and a little pride flag beside an anti-fascist button. Ashe didn’t appear it, but he was a punk through and through. Really, it was one of the reasons Felix liked him so much— he had spunk and a whole lot of fight in him. 

Felix leaned over the center console to pop the door open for him, and Ashe nodded his thanks and slid into the passenger seat. “You didn’t tell me you had an old  _ Firebird,” _ Ashe exclaimed in wonder. Felix’s brows raised to his hairline. “And it’s in such good condition…” Ashe’s hands passed over his seat almost reverently, his eyes fixed upon the dash.

“Again, this isn’t mine— it’s my brother’s,” Felix corrected, watching Ashe appraise the interior with wonder. “I didn’t know you liked cars.”

Ashe blinked, then sat back sheepishly in his seat. “I worked in a repair shop as an odd job when I was 14,” he replied softly, seemingly fond of the memory. Ashe had more experience with a wide range of activities than anyone Felix had ever met. “It wasn’t the best place to work, but the customers were nice and the cars were cool. I only worked there because I had a crush on one of the repairmen… and I needed the money, of course, but… You know.”

He thought back to the times he took shifts when he knew Ashe would be working. Felix did know.

“Yeah,” Felix replied simply, switching the car into gear and pulling away from the curb. He saw Ashe smile out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey,” the other man began, a certain mischievous tone in his voice that told Felix he was about to get teased for something. “Nice jeans.”

_ Here we go _ .

“You got those at Hot Topic,” Ashe continued smugly, his grin growing by the second.

“No,” Felix lied lamely.

“I know you did! I’m literally wearing the same ones right now!”

“They’re just black jeans, Ashe. How do you know these are from Hot Topic?”

“Because I  _ work _ there. Look! There’s a chain on them! That’s definitely Hot Topic.”

“Nope,” Felix replied, passing a car going too fucking slow in the passing lane and giving them a look. 

“Okay, stay in denial,” Ashe hummed, “But if those are Hot Topic, when did you get them? I never saw you in there before you got that Funko for Ingrid.”

Felix sighed with the force of a weathered 80 year old who wished his next birthday was his last. “I got them on a day you weren’t working.”

“Hoping to see me, huh?” Ashe teased playfully. Felix went silent, staring straight ahead as Ashe’s expression then softened. “Those are definitely Hot Topic jeans,” Ashe then continued after a few moments of silence. Felix groaned. 

The rest of the ride was comfortably silent aside from Ashe’s soft humming to the radio (which he’d turned up when he thought Felix wasn’t looking). He was a little off key, but it was… endearing. Felix almost didn’t want it to end when he parked in front of the diner and put the car in park. The neon sign proclaimed  _ Macuil’s, serving you since 1943 _ . The place was a cute 50’s style drive in with good, cheap food, and as cute as the drive-up-and-order bays were, Felix would rather not have the people in the car across from them watch them as they ate— hence the park suggestion. It was quieter, more peaceful. Felix usually took his takeout somewhere he could eat it alone.

“Oh, I haven’t been here since I was a kid,” Ashe breathed, a bright sort of excitement in his eye. Felix noted that the neon blue lighting around the sign almost matched Ashe’s hair.

“Tell me what you want and I’ll run in and order. We can take it to the park.”

Ashe blinked, then began fishing around in his pocket for his wallet. Felix shook his head when Ashe offered it to him— it was printed to look like a Pokéball— and gently pushed it back toward him. “My treat.”

“But… But you drove!” Ashe protested with a frown. If there was anything Felix had learned about Ashe in their time together, it was that the man was fiercely independent. He hated relying on anyone for anything, and he’d do it himself, dammit. Felix really admired that, but even though he was stubbornly independent himself, he knew there were times when help was needed (he’d begrudgingly just begun to recognize that fact himself). Besides, this wasn’t really  _ help _ — it was an act of compassion. 

“I know,” Felix replied evenly. “What do you want to eat?”

Ashe frowned, a little scowl settling on his face as he screwed up his freckled nose and set his jaw. It was like pissing off a mouse. “Let me get the tip, then,” he huffed out as he fished five gold from his wallet.

“Nope. The sun is going to set if you don’t tell me what you want.”

“Felix,” Ashe whined, looking genuinely distraught as he still held the five gold pieces in his hand. Felix leveled him with an even gaze, watching as Ashe didn’t waver in the slightest. Sighing, Felix shook his head and acquiesced, holding out his hand for the coins. It was a miracle he ever found someone nearly as stubborn as himself. He always thought it’d annoy him if he did, but this was… endearing.

After Ashe told him his order, Felix slid out of the car to go inside and order. Once their food (and one milkshake for Felix) was ready and securely held in Felix’s arms, he made his way back to the car. Ashe scrambled out to help him, eyeing the milkshake rather hungrily. Felix rolled his eyes. “You should have asked for one if you wanted one.”

Ashe’s head snapped up, then his cheeks bloomed red— he’d been caught. “I-I wasn’t— I just wanted to see what flavor you got,” he stammered, and Felix felt a smile ghosting his lips. 

“You can have some if you want. They gave us two straws.” It was strange. Maybe it was the fact that he ordered two meals and a single milkshake (or the fact that Ashe would wave or make silly faces at him from the car whenever he made eye contact with him through the window), but they apparently assumed he’d be sharing the milkshake with someone. Huh.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to-... well… can I have just a sip?” Ashe asked meekly, “I just noticed that it’s cookies and cream, and that’s my favorite—“

“Go for it,” Felix replied, settling into the car and arranging their food so that it wouldn’t go flying all over Glenn’s stupid car and get him skinned alive. Ashe brightened as Felix held out a straw as he backed out, punching it through the lid and taking a happy sip. Ashe wiggled in his seat, his shoulders lifting and his eyes fluttering shut; it was probably the cutest shit Felix had ever seen. And, yes, he can admit it’s cute— mind your own fucking business.

The ride was once again comfortably quiet, probably due to the fact that Ashe was rather preoccupied. Felix rolled the windows down to let the breeze in as city streets gave way to suburbs, and then scrubby fields. The setting sun cast the sky in a golden hue, clouds looking more like cotton candy. Ashe’s gaze was trained on the passing scenery, his hair ruffled by the breeze. The park was a short ways out of the city. Truthfully, calling it a park was an overstatement— it was more like a big field surrounded by forest with a gravel parking lot attached. Felix wrinkled his nose as he remembered Sylvain vividly detailing his experiences with a girl in his car at that very same park.  _ Eugh. _

Gravel crunched satisfyingly under Felix’s tires as he pulled into the lot, shifting the car into park and beginning to reach for their bags of food. He and Ashe worked together to distribute their goodies, and Felix couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about the fact that Ashe wanted  _ chicken nuggets from the kid’s menu.  _ He held the container with a raised brow, watching as Ashe challenged him with a smirk right back. Felix’s stomach filled with butterflies.

“Say it,” Ashe demanded with a shit-eating grin. “Say something about my nuggets.”

“ _ Kid’s menu _ nuggets,” Felix corrected, his own smirk curling his lips. “For kids  _ under 12.  _ I had to convince them I was a single father to get those for you.”

“You did  _ not, _ ” Ashe laughed out, swiping for his nuggets. Felix smugly held them just out of reach. “They don’t care that much. How do you know they didn’t assume you had a kid in the car? Or that they just  _ really  _ don’t care?”

“They definitely do. And you were waving at me like a maniac from the—“ Felix was cut off by the  _ click _ of Ashe’s seat belt unbuckling, and suddenly there was a skinny wrist grabbing for his own to tug it down while the other wrested the nuggets from his hand. Ashe’s knee balanced him precariously on the center console as he smirked triumphantly inches from Felix’s face. His green eyes were bright with mirth, and from their proximity, Felix could see that it wasn’t just his nose that was smattered with freckles, but his entire face.

And to make matters even worse, Ashe bit his lip in a show of exaggerated mock promiscuousness and quoted the very same fucking Tik Tok Sylvain wouldn’t shut up about; “Are we about to kiss right now?”

Honestly? Felix hoped so. But instead, all he could do was blink owlishly like some absolute idiot while Ashe’s smile started to fade, horror replacing it. Ashe had misinterpreted his silence as discomfort—  _ fuck.  _

“S-Sorry,” Ashe stammered as he slunk back into his seat, staring into his container of nuggets. Pinks and purples were seeping into the sky like spilled ink and reflecting off of the hood of the car, tinting Ashe’s skin a rosy pink. He looked guilty. Frustrated. Exactly how one looks after doing something risky and receiving the exact opposite reaction they wanted.  _ Fuck,  _ Felix was being so  _ stupid. _ He had to turn this around. Seeing Ashe look so broken up over something that wasn’t even true made his stomach twist. If it was anyone else, Felix wouldn’t give half a fuck, but Ashe… “I shouldn’t have— I didn’t mean to make you—“

Felix didn’t let Ashe finish that thought. He unbuckled his seatbelt, lunged across the center console, tilted Ashe’s chin toward him, and captured his lips in a kiss. It had to be the most impulsive, ridiculous, self indulgent thing Felix had ever done in his life, but it felt  _ right. _ Ashe’s hands were balling themselves in his shirt, nuggets forgotten, and the relief Felix felt from the sensation of Ashe leaning right back into the kiss was astronomical. It was with a start (and some satisfaction) that he realized Ashe tasted like cookies and cream.

As he pulled away, Felix watched as Ashe’s eyes fluttered open, his pupils blown wide and dark. “Oh,” he said eloquently.

“Uh huh,” Felix replied intelligently. 

“Do you..?” Ashe gestured vaguely, eyes wide.

“Yes.” Felix nodded without a second thought.

“Are we..?”

“Do you want to be?”

“Yes,” Ashe replied firmly. A megawatt grin slowly split his face before he began to laugh, most likely at the absurdity of their strange half-verbal exchange, and it was  _ beautiful _ . The grass in the field in front of them was rippling like water in the wind. The air smelled sweet, like new greenery and wet earth. Felix was as much a romantic at heart as a rock is, but Ashe made him want to be. 

“Your nuggets spilled,” was the decidedly obvious and very unromantic thing that came out of his mouth next. To make matters worse, he was staring down at Ashe’s lap, where the nuggets lay scattered. 

Ashe laughed again, a soft titter that made Felix’s heart race, and replied, “I don’t care,” before leaning back in for another kiss.

Felix didn’t mind that he was short of a milkshake. 

~~~~~~~~~

  
  
  
  


**Step 12. Visit them at work**

  
  


Ashe had organized the buttons about five different times in five different ways; color, fandom, general appeal, roundness of shape, and how much they made him laugh. In short, he ran out of categories pretty quickly. But the store was absolutely  _ dead _ and he’d already organized every piece of clothing by size and made every stack on every table immaculate. He checked his watch— only half an hour left. On the plus side, he  _ did _ have plans that evening. Just thinking about them rejuvenated the pep in his step, and just as he logged into the system to check on their shipments, the motion sensor at the doorway chimed the bell.  _ Finally. _ Ashe clacked away on the keyboard, taking a quick look at the information. “Welcome to Hot Topic! I’ll be with you in a moment!”

There was no response. Sometimes the customers were a tough crowd— Ashe was used to it. The jewelry rack to his right squeaked as it was turned, and Ashe closed out the tabs on the computer before turning and flashing a smile. “Is there anything I can— Felix?” 

The man in question turned, a black cartilage earring in his hands, and flashed him a little smile. Ashe positively beamed. He knew Felix would be off that day, but he didn’t expect him to visit him at work. Felix usually hated going to the mall unless he was scheduled; that made it all the more special. “Hey,” the other man replied. “Do you recommend this?” He held up the package containing the little black hoop. He’d gotten his ear pierced a few weeks prior (by Dedue at Claire’s upon Ashe’s recommendation) because he’d been admiring Ashe’s own piercings. He apparently already got his first ones done during a rebellious punk phase at fifteen but they’d never closed up. Really, piercings suited him. Unlike Ashe, he actually looked intimidating with them. 

“Hm. Let me take a look.” Ashe rounded the counter, tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind Felix’s ear to examine it. “It looks good. I think that one would be perfect.” While he could, Ashe leaned forward and pecked Felix’s cheek, giving him a warm smile. Felix’s cheeks colored as he chewed on his lower lip, biting back a smile. 

“Thanks,” Felix replied, his hands resting gently at Ashe’s hips. A strange look crossed his face then as his eyes tracked downward before a wry smile bloomed on his lips. “So that's where my sweatshirt went. Thief.”

Ashe gasped in mock incredulousness. _He'd been caught._ “Me? Thief? I would never! I was just  _ borrowing  _ it temporarily without permission.” He couldn’t help himself— it was right there when he stayed at Felix’s once, and it smelled like him, and reminded Ashe of him… Felix couldn’t blame him. “I like wearing your stuff. And you wear mine, too!”

Felix scowled, grumbling before leaning forward to plant a kiss to Ashe’s forehead. “Yeah, okay, whatever. Punk.” Ashe smiled, closing his eyes for a moment as he relished in the feeling of Felix’s arms around him. “When do you get off?”

“Probably like 20 minutes now,” Ashe sighed out. “Did you come to visit me?” he continued, pulling away enough to see Felix’s face. His boyfriend nodded, warming Ashe’s heart. Felix always liked to pretend he wasn’t a complete sweetheart, but Ashe knew the truth. 

“And Ingrid wants another figure. Another one of the ponies. The gay one.”

Ashe choked out a surprised laugh, shaking his head as he chuckled in Felix’s grip. “Rainbow Dash? How do you not know Rainbow Dash?”

“I don’t watch My Little Pony,” Felix deadpanned. Ashe cupped his face and gave him a chaste kiss, watching his usual hard gaze go dazed and dreamy.

“I’ll show you where it is. Follow me.”

Ashe led Felix to the Funko Pops, perhaps prattling on about his newest anime recommendations for a bit too long, but Felix didn’t seem to mind. He’d at least gotten Felix to watch  _ one  _ with him (and he cried during it, too, but it was a touchy subject for Felix), and he actively participated in the conversation with show recommendations of his own, alluding to plans of future binge-watching nights. They continued to banter as he rang Felix up, watching his boyfriend appraise his lanyard full of new Hello Kitty pins with a smile. Ashe returned his smile with a warm one of his own and handed him his bag.

“Thank you for visiting me,” he said softly. “It made my day.”

Felix grew sheepish, scuffing his shoe on the floor and averting his gaze with a neutral look that only wavered a little. Ashe had seen that look long enough to know that it meant Felix was a little overwhelmed with emotion. “Of course. Are you still free for dinner tonight?”

“Still very much free,” Ashe replied. “I’ve been looking forward to it all day. It’s pretty much the only thing that’s keeping me from trying to give myself another piercing with a button out of boredom.”

Felix wrinkled up his nose, grimacing, and Ashe tittered. Felix really could be too cute for his own good. Leaning over the counter for one last kiss, his lips met Felix’s half-way, and he could feel the other’s smile against him.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Ashe murmured, his smile warm and soft. Much to his delight, Felix smiled right back.

“Hey, I actually have something to—“

Felix was interrupted mid-sentence; Ashe heard the wolf whistle before he saw the perpetrator, but he instantly knew who it was. 

“PDA? Right in front of my salad?”

“Sylvain,” Felix groaned, his expression going from saccharine sweet to stone cold in the blink of an eye. “Nothing you say is funny. That meme was a thing two years ago. Stop.” Ashe clapped a hand over his mouth, beginning to laugh as the man in question sauntered to the counter to give Felix a hard time. 

“Aw, I thought it was pretty funny. What about you, Ashe?” Sylvain turned his charm to the highest setting, giving Ashe an award-winning grin as he leaned over the counter. “I’m funny, right?”

“Well…” Ashe pretended to think, tapping his chin and choking back laughter as Sylvain’s jaw dropped before the man poked an accusatory finger into Felix’s chest. His boyfriend swatted at the red-head’s hand, baring his teeth. 

“You've brainwashed him! Now he slanders me instead of being sweet like usual…”

“I still think you’re cool, Sylvain,” Ashe began sweetly, watching Sylvain light up. “But… You know, I’ve gotta say… I think Felix is my favorite.” 

A hand flew to Sylvain’s chest in mock hurt, but the man couldn’t keep up the act for long, dissolving into laughter. Meanwhile, Felix looked a bit too pleased with himself, his chest puffing out proudly. Ashe snuck in another peck on the cheek, watching Felix’s eyes go wide and his face go red before he began to laugh as well. Ignoring his best friend, Felix opened his backpack and tucked the bag in, fishing around for something else. Curious, Ashe craned his neck to watch. “As I was saying before I was  _ rudely _ interrupted. I have something to show you.”

“Oh?” Ashe cocked his head, furrowing his brow. Felix was difficult to read as it was, so it was impossible to predict what was up when he had a surprise.

Felix produced a glaringly pink and white object from his bag-- a helmet, Ashe’s brain helpfully supplied. Printed on it was Hello Kitty’s adorable face donning sunglasses and flashing a thumb’s up. “I think it’s time for you to clock out,” Felix said simply, the smallest of smiles tugging at his lips as he held the helmet out for Ashe to take.

All in all, it was pretty nice working at Hot Topic. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! kudos and comments make my whole day ;w;  
> if u want more of my bs my twitter is @teamsrockets  
> Also, if you like my writing, consider buying me a coffee!! support me here: https://ko-fi.com/teamsrockets


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